Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 3:38 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 5:23 p.m.

DELTONA — Clyde VanKleeck has seen some of the roughest terrain this area has to offer during his 30-year career as a surveyor, but never before has he waded through grass so tall or woods so thick as he has the last two weekends while hunting Burmese pythons in the Everglades with his sons.

Facts

Report invasives

Sightings of exotic species can be reported to IveGot1.org or 888-483-4861 (IVEGOT1). State officials say photos and locations are helpful.

Photo Galleries

"We're doing things I would never dream of doing at work," VanKleeck said.

The avid hunters and fishermen from Deltona are participating in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's 2013 Python Challenge. The Wildlife Commission and its partners hope the exercise will help educate the public on the dangers the exotic, invasive snakes present to the South Florida environment, including the Everglades. Commission officials say the hunt also helps them remove the snakes from the wild.

The VanKleecks and three other local residents were among 1,390 who have registered to participate in the Challenge, so far. Even U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson joined the action to help search for the giant snakes that can grow as long as 26 feet. According to the commission, the longest one ever found in Florida was 17 feet.

As of Friday, the hunters had removed 30 Burmese pythons since the hunt began on Jan. 12, said Carli Segelson, commission spokeswoman.

No one knows how many pythons are living in South Florida. National Park Service officials say more than 1,800 have been taken over the past 12 years, likely representing "only a fraction of the total population."

Commission officials say they are using the Python Challenge as a pilot program to determine if paying hunters to harvest pythons would help rid the state of the huge, voracious reptiles. A $1,500 cash prize will go to the participant who harvests the most Burmese pythons and a $1,000 prize will be awarded for the longest Burmese python.

So far, the VanKleecks aren't in line for any cash. They haven't harvested a single snake, despite two weekends of searching the wilds of South Florida in three different wildlife management areas.

When Zackery VanKleeck, 26, found the Python Challenge on a website, he called his little brother Tyler, 15.

"I jumped," said Tyler. He immediately began preparing. He got a pair of snake chaps and took a hunter safety course. All three of them took the online course required for hunters, which includes such information as how to kill the snakes humanely.

The University of Florida is collecting and processing the snakes as hunters turn them in. After the snake is processed, hunters can keep the skin or sell it to dealers on site.

As a toddler, Tyler pretended to go snake hunting. He's always been fascinated by snakes, said his mother, April.

"I thought it would be an experience just to go hunt," said Tyler. And that it has been.

"In the Everglades, you can't just take a machete and cut a line," said Clyde VanKleeck. "Just diving through grass is all new to me."

Jumping up in the living room of the family's Deltona home, Tyler demonstrated how they walk "carefully" through the grass searching for snakes, gesturing high over his head to show how tall the grass is.

"When you're walking, you're taking one step, pushing the grass aside and looking, and taking another step and pushing, and looking," he said. "You won't see one unless you step on it, unless you see the grass starting to move."

"You also see things you never see here," said Clyde. "It's like walking into Jurassic Park."

They've seen iguanas and even a Komodo dragon.

"Mostly you're looking for snakes near the water's edges, under the rocks and under logs," said Tyler. They tried to track a snake but it went into the woods. "Once it goes into the woods you just lose it."

"We saw a lot of alligators," Tyler said. And they saw five different species of snake, "just not the right ones."

Once, Zackery was "probing into a mud hole, stepped on the other side and there was a cottonmouth laying there," said Clyde. "Another time, I turned and there was a cottonmouth hanging on a tree looking at me."

They've heard that pythons will sparkle or shine under water. They searched a lot of water's edges. "That's mostly where you see the slides," Tyler said, referring to the tracks the snakes make in mud or sand. But they'd walk away and come back and see "brand new big slides."

They'd heard pythons could be found on roads in the mornings and in the evenings when the pavement is warm. They talked to others for advice, but so far no luck.

"It's very frustrating," Clyde said Thursday.

After two full weekends, the trio is taking a break this weekend because Clyde has to work. He hopes the weather will warm up in two weeks and believes the cooler temperatures may have been a factor in the snakes being harder to find on the first two trips.

The men said even though they're not finding snakes, they're still having fun, especially Tyler. He'd never been to the Everglades.

"It was amazing, it was really cool," he said.

Clyde, meanwhile, is just along for the ride.

"I think these boys are going to drive me nuts until the season is over," he said. "I enjoy watching the boys getting along and doing something together."

If they do find a snake, Tyler hopes to grab it by the tail first.

Report invasives

Sightings of exotic species can be reported to IveGot1.org or 888-483-4861 (IVEGOT1). State officials say photos and locations are helpful.

<p>DELTONA &mdash; Clyde VanKleeck has seen some of the roughest terrain this area has to offer during his 30-year career as a surveyor, but never before has he waded through grass so tall or woods so thick as he has the last two weekends while hunting Burmese pythons in the Everglades with his sons. </p><p> "We're doing things I would never dream of doing at work," VanKleeck said. </p><p> The avid hunters and fishermen from Deltona are participating in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's 2013 Python Challenge. The Wildlife Commission and its partners hope the exercise will help educate the public on the dangers the exotic, invasive snakes present to the South Florida environment, including the Everglades. Commission officials say the hunt also helps them remove the snakes from the wild. </p><p> The VanKleecks and three other local residents were among 1,390 who have registered to participate in the Challenge, so far. Even U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson joined the action to help search for the giant snakes that can grow as long as 26 feet. According to the commission, the longest one ever found in Florida was 17 feet. </p><p> As of Friday, the hunters had removed 30 Burmese pythons since the hunt began on Jan. 12, said Carli Segelson, commission spokeswoman. </p><p>No one knows how many pythons are living in South Florida. National Park Service officials say more than 1,800 have been taken over the past 12 years, likely representing "only a fraction of the total population."</p><p> Commission officials say they are using the Python Challenge as a pilot program to determine if paying hunters to harvest pythons would help rid the state of the huge, voracious reptiles. A $1,500 cash prize will go to the participant who harvests the most Burmese pythons and a $1,000 prize will be awarded for the longest Burmese python. </p><p> So far, the VanKleecks aren't in line for any cash. They haven't harvested a single snake, despite two weekends of searching the wilds of South Florida in three different wildlife management areas.</p><p> When Zackery VanKleeck, 26, found the Python Challenge on a website, he called his little brother Tyler, 15. </p><p> "I jumped," said Tyler. He immediately began preparing. He got a pair of snake chaps and took a hunter safety course. All three of them took the online course required for hunters, which includes such information as how to kill the snakes humanely. </p><p> The University of Florida is collecting and processing the snakes as hunters turn them in. After the snake is processed, hunters can keep the skin or sell it to dealers on site. </p><p> As a toddler, Tyler pretended to go snake hunting. He's always been fascinated by snakes, said his mother, April. </p><p> "I thought it would be an experience just to go hunt," said Tyler. And that it has been. </p><p> "In the Everglades, you can't just take a machete and cut a line," said Clyde VanKleeck. "Just diving through grass is all new to me." </p><p> Jumping up in the living room of the family's Deltona home, Tyler demonstrated how they walk "carefully" through the grass searching for snakes, gesturing high over his head to show how tall the grass is. </p><p> "When you're walking, you're taking one step, pushing the grass aside and looking, and taking another step and pushing, and looking," he said. "You won't see one unless you step on it, unless you see the grass starting to move." </p><p> "You also see things you never see here," said Clyde. "It's like walking into Jurassic Park." </p><p> They've seen iguanas and even a Komodo dragon. </p><p> "Mostly you're looking for snakes near the water's edges, under the rocks and under logs," said Tyler. They tried to track a snake but it went into the woods. "Once it goes into the woods you just lose it." </p><p> "We saw a lot of alligators," Tyler said. And they saw five different species of snake, "just not the right ones." </p><p> Once, Zackery was "probing into a mud hole, stepped on the other side and there was a cottonmouth laying there," said Clyde. "Another time, I turned and there was a cottonmouth hanging on a tree looking at me." </p><p> They've heard that pythons will sparkle or shine under water. They searched a lot of water's edges. "That's mostly where you see the slides," Tyler said, referring to the tracks the snakes make in mud or sand. But they'd walk away and come back and see "brand new big slides." </p><p> They'd heard pythons could be found on roads in the mornings and in the evenings when the pavement is warm. They talked to others for advice, but so far no luck. </p><p> "It's very frustrating," Clyde said Thursday. </p><p> After two full weekends, the trio is taking a break this weekend because Clyde has to work. He hopes the weather will warm up in two weeks and believes the cooler temperatures may have been a factor in the snakes being harder to find on the first two trips. </p><p> The men said even though they're not finding snakes, they're still having fun, especially Tyler. He'd never been to the Everglades. </p><p> "It was amazing, it was really cool," he said. </p><p> Clyde, meanwhile, is just along for the ride. </p><p> "I think these boys are going to drive me nuts until the season is over," he said. "I enjoy watching the boys getting along and doing something together." </p><p> If they do find a snake, Tyler hopes to grab it by the tail first.</p><p></p><p><b>Report invasives</b></p><p>Sightings of exotic species can be reported to IveGot1.org or 888-483-4861 (IVEGOT1). State officials say photos and locations are helpful.</p>